Under the Hammer

Lot 1

Abraham Mintchine

Interior of a studio (Siesta)

The first eleven lots in our sale come from the collection of Jacques Spreiregen, a Polish-French immigrant who founded Kangol. Spreiregen was a keen supporter of Jewish artists in Paris and his passion for their work directly contributed to the flourishing of the movement. As a philanthropist and collector, Spreiregen is known to have built an extraordinary collection of 20^th century art led by European avant-garde masters like Cezanne, Monet, Bonnard, Picasso, Chagall, Larionov and Gontcharova. Maintaining close ties with France, he was an avid supporter of the community of Jewish artists in Paris, which included Soutine, Kremenge, Mintchine and Blond, and most of his works were acquired directly from their studios.

Within this remarkable collection, Abraham Mintchine’s Interior of a studio stands out. The earthy tones and murky light depict the tranquil atmosphere within the studio, contrasting with the train bridge through the window that reminds us of the city's industrialisation during this time.

Lot 25

Marevna

Saint Luke the Evangelist

The Ecole de Paris fostered ground-breaking styles and launched the careers of a group of female artists, known as the “Women of Montparnasse”. As the booming centre of modernity at the time, Paris was a mecca for female artists in search of artistic expression.

Marevna was one of these “Women of Montparnasse”, the daughter of Jewish actress Maria Rosanovitch and Alexandre Vorobieff. When she was two years old, she was adopted by the Polish Catholic aristocrat Bronislav Stebelski. In 1907, she took classes at the Tiflis junior high school in Georgia and in 1910 she left for Moscow where she attended the School of Decorative Arts. She arrived in Paris in 1912 and studied at the Zuloaga Academy, the Colarossi Academy in 1913 and the Russian Academy.

Marvena was known for her extraordinary combination of Pointillism and the “Golden ratio” structure which is brilliantly exhibited in the present lot. Marevna was initially a portraitist but embraced Cubism, or as she called it “Dimensionalism”, which has been linked to the influence of the famous Mexican painter, Diego Rivera. The pair met in 1919, their love affair leading to the birth of their daughter later that year.

Lot 24

Marie Vassilieff

Portrait of a man

Portrait of a man by Marie Vassilieff is one of many works in the sale by female artists, amongst other paintings by Sonia Lewitska, Vera Landchevsky, Anna Staritsky and Julia Worswick. Vassilieff began her studies at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg and later moved to Paris where she took courses at the Académie de la Palette and the Académie Henri Matisse. In 1911, she founded the Russian Academy of Painting and Sculpture and a year later established the Académie Vassilieff which became a meeting place for the Parisian avant-garde.

When World War I broke out, she transformed her studio into a canteen which enjoyed growing popularity among intellectuals including Braque, Picasso, Modigliani, and Soutine. The venue put on shows, held conferences, hosted literary and musical evenings, and threw legendary parties.

Vassilieff's oeuvre was deeply influenced by the Cubist movement emerging in Paris at the time. She was mostly known for her portraits of dancers and her friends, like Picasso and Matisse. The medium of this work is unique, being painted on silk using tempera. The beautiful lilac tones in the background contrast with the warm skin tone of the unknown sitter.

Lot 33

Léopold Survage

La conque de mer

Survage studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and travelled to Paris in 1908. He shared a studio with Modigliani and frequented the salons held at Helen d'Otteingen’s home where sculptors, writers and painters were welcomed including Picasso, Brancusi and Jacob. In 1910 he exhibited with a circle of avant-garde artists known as the “Jack of Diamonds” group in Moscow. Survage was inspired by the Matisse paintings that he had seen in the Shchukin Collection as well as Cubist and Surrealist works. He was also interested in Cézanne’s oeuvre, with whom he exhibited in 1911 at the Salon des Indépendants.

In this evocative work, Survage explores the interplay of shadow, light and sky. The overall impression is of a collage, the artist playing with multiple perspectives and colour planes, creating both cohesion and disruption simultaneously. The manipulation of the image is reminiscent of Braque and Picasso's experiments in Cubism. There is a distinct lack of three-dimensionality in this painting despite the angles and “shadows” of the buildings. This creates an unnerving, mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere.

Lot 30

Moïse Kisling

Barque sur le rivage

Our sale focuses on the prominent Jewish artists of the Ecole de Paris, including works by famous names such as Léon Zack, Michel Kikoine, Pinchus Kremegne, Simon Natan Karczmar and Théo Tobiasse. Barque sur le rivage by the Jewish artist Moïse Kisling is one of the highlight lots. Moïse was born in Krakow, Poland, into a modest Jewish family of tailors. He attended the School of Fine Arts in Krakow before moving to Paris in 1910. Once settled in Montparnasse, he quickly associated himself with Picasso, Gris, Jacob, and Manolo.

In 1912 he met his first dealer, Adolphe Basler, who bought all his paintings in exchange for a monthly payment of 300 francs. When he returned to Paris, he moved into a studio at 3 rue Joseph-Bara where Modigliani, Soutine, Derain, and Gris often met. In 1919, the Druet Gallery organized his first exhibition.

This stunning painting, with its nuanced flattened brushstrokes and buoyant palette, creates an almost mythical setting suspended in time: a stillness combined with dynamism.  

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